The invention relates to adapters for connecting devices to personal computers.
To expand the capacity and functional capability of portable laptops, computers, and other types of electronic devices, manufacturers developed "plug-in"peripheral cards containing circuits and devices such as memories and modems.
Because of the many possible methods of constructing the interface between a computer and a peripheral card device, standards were developed by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association ("PCMCIA"), Japan Electronic Data Interchange Council ("JEDIC"), International Organization for Standardization ("ISO"), Compact Flash Association ("CFA"), and others. Standards for PC Cards (formerly called PCMCIA Cards) require that they have a length of approximately 85 mm, a width of 54 mm, and a maximum thickness of 5 mm.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,891 (the '891 Patent), incorporated herein by reference, discloses a housing for such a PC card, and a process for making same. The housing disclosed in the '891 Patent meets standards defined in the PCMCIA CompactFlash Specification Revision 2.1.1, incorporated herein by reference.
Following the introduction of PC cards, small flash memory devices, often referred to as CompactFlash.TM. cards, were introduced for use with personal electronic products, such as digital cameras and cellular phones. In keeping with the trend of developing smaller devices, CompactFlash cards were even smaller in size than PC Cards. One format for CompactFlash cards was promulgated by the CFA. A card with this format, which will be referred to as a Type I card, has an approximate length of 36 mm, an approximate width of 42 mm, and an approximate thickness of 3.3 mm. Type I cards were originally intended for use with products other than personal computers. Therefore, to connect a Type I card to a personal computer, an adaptor providing a PCMCIA interface at one end and an interface for the Type I card at the other end is used. These adapters will be referred to as Type I adapters. The Type I adapter plugs into the personal computer interface for PC Cards and the Type I card plugs into the Type I adapter.
More recently, a new format for CompactFlash cards that differs from the form factor of a Type I card has been proposed. A card with this new format, which will be referred to as a Type II card, has the same width and length as a Type I card but is thicker than the Type I card. In fact, Type II cards are as thick as PC Cards and Type I Adapters. Due to its thickness, the Type II card does not fit inside a standard PC Card housing or a Type I adapter. Consequently, the Type II card cannot be used with the Type I adapters currently used with Type I cards.
It may be noted that the position of the Type II card socket holes and pins with respect to the bottom of the card is the same as that for the Type I card. Therefore, the Type II card's socket holes are offset from its center toward the bottom of the card on account of the Type II card's increased thickness.
Type II cards have grooves, approximately 1.0-1.2 mm deep, 36.4 mm long, and 1.7 mm high, running along the two side walls that correspond to the grooves running along the side walls of the Type I card. The grooves on the Type II card are offset toward the bottom of the card.
Standards covering the Type II card have been proposed. These proposed standards require that Type II cards have a thickness of no more than 5 mm, and that the center line of the holes be approximately 1 mm above the bottom of the Type II card.